Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
by adorkable-mandie
Summary: Hermione is with Ron, but she misses her friendship with Draco. She remembers how happy she was with Draco and maybe now she regrets gettting together with Ron. Could there be a chance to fix things? **Sequel to Hermione, I'm The One...**
1. Chapter 1

"Wait...what?" Hermione asked. Her voice was full of disbelief.

"I love you, Hermione." Draco's face was colored with blush as he repeated himself. He looked straight into Hermione's eye, which reflected the confusion she was feeling.

"But..." she started. But it seemed that her words failed her. Hermione searched his fae, to see if he was being serious. Then, she turned her attention to the ground.

Draco extended his arm and wrapped it around Hermione's shoulders. Her body was trembling underneath it. With his free hand, Draco reached over and gently lifted Hermione's chin up, so that she was looking at him. There were small tears in the corner of each of her eyes.

"No. No, no, no. No way." Hermione said as she jerked her away from his palm. She raised her hand up and, using her sleeve, wiped away the tears. "This is not happening."

Draco's face fell. "Don't you...don't you like me? I mean, as more than a friend." he asked as he took his hand back.

"I'm so sorry, Draco" Hermione's voice started to quiver. She took a deep breath before she continued. " I love RON. I have for years now...I just can't..."

Hermione turned away from Draco for a few seconds. When she looked back at him, she had a hurt expression. "You're lying. Holy crickets! You're lying." A few tears streaked down her face.

"No Hermione, I'm not."

Before she could do anything about it, Draco used the arm that was around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Their faces were barely inches apart. She could feel his warm breath, which had become rather jagged, as he exhaled. Draco moved his hand, that wasn't holding her, to the back of her neck.

Hermione started to chew on her lower lip. It was difficult for her to resist the temptation to turn away ,because she was nervous. She wasn't sure what Draco was thinking. Hermione stared into his gray eyes, which seemed so sincere, so honest as he looked at her.

Suddenly, she realized what was going on. Draco's arm tighten around Hermione as she tried wiggle away. She put her hands on his chest, attempting to push him away. Hermione felt Draco's heart pounding against his ribs.

Then, Draco's lips met Hermione's own. It was a gentle kiss; it caused Hermione to lose the will to fight. The world disappeared around her. She found herself kissing Draco back. Her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his neck. Hermione felt him pull their bodies closer together, as much they could be while sitting on the bench.

Hermone let her fingers run through Draco's blonde hair. She could feel him doing the same, his fingers become entangled in her own hair. His arm moved to her waist as the kiss became more passionate. Hermione's hands were running all over Draco's upper body.

"Hermione...I love you...and always have." Draco whispered between breaths when they broke apart. The two of them were gasping for air.

She looked over at Draco, who was smiling at her as he leaned back on his hands. Even with his always perfect hair dishevled, his pale face burning red from blushing and his robes hanging half-way off his shoulders, Draco looked like the happiest man in the world...and very...

_Wait! Since when did I start thinking that my best friend was handsome?_

Everything came crashing back to Hermione. The reason behind the kiss. The confession of love from Draco. The fact that she didn't just start to have a relationship with him. That she was supposed to be Ron's girlfriend.

Immediately, Hermione gasped and jumped up to her feet. _What did I just do?_

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco asked. She could see him start to reach out a hand towards her. She took a step away from him.

"I...I have to go." she said as she took another step towards the castle. "I'm sorry." Then, Hermione turned and ran back inside the castle.

* * *

_**Mandie here! Here is the kinda prologue thingie! **_

**_Gunna be switching it up to Hermione's POV in this story, jsut to let ya know!_**

**_Anywho, reviews are welcomed! ^_^_**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione ran to the closest lavatory that she could find. She went into a stall and slammed that door shut. Hermione ignored that small growl from her stomach. She couldn't go to the Great Hall because she couldn't face Ron after what did. Her eyes were filling up with tears.

_My first kiss.._ she thought as she raised her shaky fingers up to her lips. Hermione could still feel them tingling. She closed her eyes and flashes of her kiss with Draco played out before her eyes, like a movie. Hermione wondered what Ron's reaction would be when he found out.

Her eyes shot open. "What-what if he b-breaks up with me?" she asked herself outloud.

Hermione could not believe what a mess that she had got into. She had fancied Ron since their Second Year. That was when Draco started to come around her more. Of course, since Draco was her friend, that meant his friends, Ron and Harry, would come over to see who Draco was with.

That was one of the reasons that she suggested to Draco that the two of them should go down to the lake on Saturdays. She didn't want to risk doing anything that might embarrass her in front of Ron. If something like that were to happen, it would ruin any chance that she had with him.

Tears were welling up again as she thought about how long she had wanted to be with Ron. After last year, it seemed that it would be possible to have him in her dreams. Everywhere since then, anytime Hermione saw him there were girls surrounding him.

"Hermione, are you in here?" Luna's voice echoed in the restroom. Hermione couldn't hold back the sobbing enough to keep quiet, which answered Luna's question. Hermione heard slow footsteps approaching where she was hiding.

"H-hey Luna." Hermione said when she saw Luna's feet standing on the other side of the door.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked. "Draco said that I should look for you."

Hermione had to stifle another sob that was building up. She bit on her lower lip to hold back the tears that wanted to fall.

"Hermione?"

Slowly, Hermione got up and opened the door. Luna took a step back and looked over Hermione. Then, Luna walked over to the sinks to get some tissues, ran a few under the running tap and brought them back to her friend. Hermione mumbled her thanks to Luna.

"Draco did say that you might be upset." Luna said as she leaned back against the wall of the lavatory. A flash of anger rushed through Hermione when Luna said Draco's name.

"Its his fault." Hermione replied curtly, turning away from Luna. "He's the one who..." Her sentence faded away as she touched her lips.

Hermione heard Luna let out a sigh. "If you only knew." she whispered. At least, that's what Hermione thought she said.

"If I knew what?" Hermione asked over her shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione could see Luna looked puzzled.

"Oh, you must have Wrackspurts buzzing around your head." Luna answered. "They make your brain go fuzzy. Maybe they are making you hear things."

Hermione turned back to face Luna, trying to see if Luna was hiding something. It was impossible to tell though, Luna had the perfect pokerface.

"Well," Hermione said as she wiped her eyes. "I'm going to class. Thank you Luna." Then, Hermione walked out of the restroom.

* * *

"Maybe I should have told her." Luna said to her reflection after Hermione left. She thought about what had happened only a few moments before she came looking for Hermione.

"And that's why a Crumple-Horned Snorkack's horns are so valuable." Luna was telling Harry Potter as they left the Great Hall from lunch. "Daddy is supposed to be printing an article about them soon."

Harry nodded and hadn't laughed at her the entire time that they talked. Luna knew that only a few people at Hogwarts were capable of that feat. She was wondering why Harry was so keen about talking to her when she heard someone's loud echoing footsteps in the corridor. Luna looked up to see Draco quickly making his way towards her. Luna's heart began to race at the sight of him, but she could tell that something was wrong.

"Sorry, I have to go." Luna said to Harry. Then, she met Draco halfway through the corridor. A quick look over him told Luna that it must have been really bad. Draco's hair was messed up and his robes were hanging off one of his shoulders.

"She-she didn't take it well." Draco said inbetween breaths. Luna could see the pain in his gray eyes.

"Well, you did wait until she had Ron as her boyfriend to tell her." Luna replied as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Please, will you go look for her?" Draco begged. "I know that she will be upset. Please go talk to her."

Luna could not say no to him. No matter how much she wished that it was her, not Hermione, that Draco was worried about. Luna noticed that he was holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

"I will." Luna said. She remembered her promise that she had made to herself: that if the two most important people that she had in school wanted to be together, she would help them. Luna knew that it would hurt her though. She looked at Draco, whom she loved, smiling at her.

"Thank you, Luna." he said. Draco walked over to her and hugged her for a quick moment.

Luna felt like she fit perfectly with Draco's arms around her. She held back her tears. As soon as Draco let her go, Luna turned to find Hermione.

"If you only knew how much he loved you, Hermione." Luna said to herself. "Or how much I wish that I was you." Luna felt tears in her eyes again, but wiped them away before they could fall.

* * *

**Reviews are welcomed! Gunna give you two chapters in one night because you have been waiting for so long. Uber sorry about that! Oh yeah, I wasn't sure about how I wanted to put Luna's memory in here of her conversation with Draco, so I just centered it. Any suggestions for the future? Thank you all very much!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Good luck, Ron." Hermione said blushing. Then, she stood up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled at her.

Ron was heading out with Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team. Hermione was staying behind in the Great Hall to finish up breakfast and wait on Luna.

Once she took her last bite, Hermione's eyes wandered over to the Slytherin table, automatically focusing on Draco. He was sitting with Crabbe and Goyle, just like he had been since Halloween. He was even sitting with them during classes, whereas Hermione was now sitting with Ron and Harry.

_No,_ Hermione thought as she shook her head and looked away. _I'm not going to think about him today._

Draco hadn't even looked in Hermione's direction since she ran away from him on that day. She missed him, but she still had Luna. Also, she had Ron.

"Hermione, I suppose we should go on to the Quidditch Pitch." Luna said from behind Hermione.

"Sure Luna."

As they walked outside, the icy wind whipped around them. Hermione pulled her robes tightly around her.

_I just need a few more days away from Draco to figure everything out._ Hermione thought as she shielded her face from the wind. _For now, I'm going to enjoy my first Quidditch match and cheer on Ron._ Hermione stomped her foot for emphasis on the thought, but ended up almost tripping herself.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Luna asked. She raised one blonde eyebrow at Hermione.

"I'm fine." Hermione answered. She gave Luna a smile that she hoped was reassuring. "I almost lost my balance, that's all."

Luna shrugged and continued to walk in silence.

Hermione knew that Luna was still a little upset with her since their slight confrontation in the lavatory on Halloween. Luna hadn't even mentioned Draco since that day; though she knew that Luna was with Draco when she wasn't with her.

"Lovely day to be in the library, don't you think?" Luna said as they reached the Gryffindor stands.

The library was where Hermione had been during all the previous Quidditch matches. With everyone watching the game, she found that it was one of the best times to study. Of course, she always had Luna and –

"There's Ronald." Luna said, getting Hermione's attention.

Hermione and Luna had just sat down in the Gryffindor stands when the team came flying out. Ron flew by where Hermione was now standing and gave her a wink. She blushed as she nervously waved at him and smiled.

Then, Hermione noticed Lavender Brown, who was sitting a level below her, was shouting at Ron and blowing him kisses before he flew away.

A quick rush of jealousy surged through Hermione. But then she thought, _I'm with the one guy that just about every girl at Hogwarts wants to be with._ Then, she reasoned with herself, _Lavender is just desperately trying to get Ron's attention._

Harry flew by as well and he smiled as he looked directly at Luna. Hermione turned to see Luna wave back at him before he set off to continue circling the field.

"Luna, Harry really seems to fancy you." Hermione said cheerfully.

"Oh, its nothing like that. He's just interested in Nargles and Crumple-Horn Snorkacks." Luna replied in a very matter of fact tone. "Nothing more than that."

Just then, the Slytherin team took their turn to circle the Pitch. As they flew by the Gryffindor section, they were greeted by jeers and being booed at.

Both teams went down to the ground and got off their brooms. Madam Hooch, the umpire, called the captains,Graham Montague from Slytherin and _Angelina_ Johnson from Gryffindor, to shake hands. Then, the captains returned and mounted their brooms, as well as the rest of the teams. As soon as both teams were ready, Madam Hooch blew her whistle. Then, the Bludgers and Golden Snitch were released, followed by the Quaffle being tossed up by Madam Hooch.

Hermione suddenly recognized the Slytherin Beaters as Crabbe and Goyle. Immediately, her eyes started to search to see if he was there as well. But Hermione didn't see anyone with pale blonde hair in the massive sea of green.

"He must be all alone..." Hermione said sadly. She became lost in her thoughts. She couldn't help wondering where Draco was and what he was doing.

"Oh dear." Luna said, causing Hermione to look up and see what she was talking about.

The score was forty-ten to Slytherin. Hermione spotted Pansy Parkinson, the Slytherin Seeker, racing against Harry for the Snitch. He had just grabbed it before she did, causing an eruption of cheers from the Gryffindors that shook the stands.

In mere seconds after he had captured the Snitch, Harry was hit in the back of the head by a Bludger.

Hermione and Luna took off quickly towards the Gryffindor team's tent. As the girls got close to it, they heard raised voices and decided to stay out of sight.

"You don't deserve her, Ron!" yelled Draco's voice.

"Oh yeah, just like Harry didn't deserve that Bludger to the back of the head from that bloke, Crabbe." Ron snapped back.

"I had nothing to do with that. I'd rather it had hit you, but I know that would make Hermione upset." Draco said.

"Still have feelings for her? Ha, what would your father say about that? Besides, its obvious that you don't mean anything to her. She told you that I'm dating her and now you two aren't speaking. Seems to me that she was using you, mate." Ron emphasized the malice in his tone, especially on the last word.

Hermione let out a gasp and had a horrified expression on her face. She couldn't believe that Ron and Draco were fighting over her.

"Hmph, shows how much you know. I guess she hasn't told you. Then again, you have some dirty little secrets that you don't want her to know either." Draco said.

"Ha, you know you won't tell her anything that would hurt her. I know you too well, Malfoy."

Hermione looked over at Luna.

"Oh Luna," she whispered. "What am I going to do?"

* * *

**Yay-ness! The second chapter of the night! I wanted to get these up in time for Deathly Hallows! Anywho, reviews, as always, are welcomed! ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

"You're right, Ron. I would never do anything that would hurt Hermione." Draco paused for a moment. "But I promise you, if you do something to hurt her, I will not stand idly by and watch." Draco said in a menacing tone.

Hermione and Luna were still hiding just a few feet away from where Ron and Draco had been arguing.

"You think you can threaten me, Malfoy? Are you gunna run to your father?" Ron let out a laugh that didn't have any humor in it. "Oh wait, I forgot. Your father doesn't care too much for his blood-traitor of a son, now does he?"

"Luna!" Hermione whispered. "We have got to stop them!" She was chewing on her lower lip to keep from crying.

Suddenly, Hermione felt herself being pushed out of the shadows where she was hiding and right into where the boys were standing, facing each other. Luna was behind Hermione just enough so that no one could see that she was the one pushing Hermione.

Draco looked completely shocked to see Hermione. Ron simply smiled and extended his free hand, his other one holding on to his broom, towards her.

"We came to check on Harry." Luna said after a few moments of silence.

Hermione was thankful that Luna spoke up. She stared at the ground while she pretended to catch her breath. Truthfully, Hermione didn't want Ron to see that she knew his arm was waiting to hold her.

_Ron is the one that I've wanted to be with all along. So, why am I having to resist the desire to run to Draco instead?_

Slowly, Hermione raised her gaze up from the frozen grass. First, she looked over at Draco. Even though he seemed to be trying to mask it, Draco couldn't hide the concern and care he had for Hermione. Draco's gray eyes looked warm and kind to her.

Then, Hermione turned to look over at Ron. It was almost the exact opposite of Draco. Everything about Ron's expression was stone cold. His eyes were just as icy as the wind that whipped around them.

_Maybe Ron is still upset from the fight._ Hermione thought as she made her way over to Ron. Once she was next to him, Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and held it, causing her to blush. Hermione always felt self-conscience about public displays of affection like that.

"Oh Harry!" Luna exclaimed as she pointed somewhere beyond where the group was standing. Everyone turned to see what was going on.

Harry was being supported on both sides by Fred and George. A cut on the right side of his forehead was trickling blood down his pale face. For some reason, Harry was laughing as if he had been told a very funny joke and his eyes were out of focus.

"Think he's been knocked loopy." George said.

"Been laughing like a madman." Fred added as the twins helped Harry get into the Gryffindor tent.

Luna dashed past everyone and immediately started to checking Harry, as he was placed on a bench to sit. Once the twins moved away from him, Luna pulled her wand from behind her ear and quickly flicked it at Harry's head a few times. Then, Harry's green eyes came back into focus and he stopped laughing.

"L-Luna?" Harry seemed surprised to see her. "What happened?" he asked as he looked around at all the worried faces that surrounded him.

"Your head was full of Wrackspurts." Luna answered with a smile.

The Weasleys looked at Luna with raised eyebrows.

"You got hit in the back of the head by a Bludger." George said, giving Harry a better explanation of what had happened to him.

"Talk about a sore loser. That Slytherin hit you after you grabbed the Snitch." Fred continued in a tone of disgust.

Hermione turned to look around, but Draco hadn't followed the into the tent.

"Draco..." Hermione said in a whisper that Ron couldn't hear.

"Let's go." Ron said to Hermione as he started to walk away, pulling her along with him. Hermione looked back at Luna, who was busy tending to Harry, and wished that she wasn't alone with Ron.

* * *

The twins had backed away from where Luna sat with Harry on the bench.

"Is anything broken?" Luna asked, placing her wand back behind her ear.

"I dunno." Harry answered. Then, he began to move his arms and legs around, as if he was checking them. "If there was, could you fix it?"

"I've fixed a few toes before." Luna replied. She used a damp cloth, that George had conjured, to wipe the blood off Harry face. "What a particular cut you have there now." Luna said as she cautiously cleaned around the cut. "Looks like a lighting bolt."

"Uh, well, seeing as Harry is in good hands..." George started as he and his brother made their way to the exit.

"We'll be going." Fred finished. Then, they were gone, leaving Luna and Harry by themselves.

"Hermione would say to put some essence of dittany on this." Luna said as she took the cloth away from Harry's face. "To make it heal with out scarring."

Suddenly, Harry's hands grasped on to Luna's hand, causing her to drop the cloth, and held them. "I'll be fine, Luna." Harry inched himself a little closer to Luna. "Thanks to you." Harry's green eyes gazed into Luna's eyes as he talked.

_What's going on with me? _Luna thought as her heart began to race. She looked down at where her hands rested in Harry's gentle grip. _Why is my heart pounding because Harry is holding my hands?_

"We should head up to the castle." Luna said calmly and keeping her eyes locked on their hands. "The others will start to worry."

As usual, her voice did not give away how nervous she suddenly felt being with Harry. Luna had always been thankful for that, especially seeing how much time she spent with Draco. She also had a calm expression, or what Hermione had called a 'poker face'. Hardly anyone could tell what Luna was really feeling.

"Alright then." Harry replied. Slowly, he let go of her hands and got to his feet. "Just stay close by me in case more Wrackspurts come around." he continued with a grin. Luna smiled back and nodded. Then, both of them left the tent and headed back to the school. The warmth of Harry's hands lingered on Luna's for a while after they walked out into the blistering winds again.

* * *

_Its too noisy in here._ Hermione thought. She was sitting in the corner of the Gryffindor common room, attempting to read as the evening was ending. The rest of her housemates were busy partying about the Quidditch victory earlier.

Ron was in the middle of the celebration. Hermione had declined his offer to dance with him. She had told him that she would rather watch and enjoy the view.

_Yeah right._ Hermione let out a sigh. _Why am I avoiding Ron?_ Hermione mused as she shifted in her seat. _And what did Draco mean that Ron had something that he didn't want me to know?_ Hermione looked up to see Lavender dancing very close to Ron.

"Oh, that girl!" Hermione said irritably as she slammed her book shut. She got up, crossed the common room and left out the portrait. "I need to talk to Luna." she said to herself.

Hermione headed to the library first. Madam Pince gave her a fleeting glance as Hermione entered, then went back to scribbling on her desk. Hermione made her way to the usual study area in the peacefully quiet library. She was less that a few feet away when she heard people whispering a conversation.

"Yes, Harry is doing fine. He has a cut on his forehead from his crash, but that's all." Luna's dreamy whisper carried over to where Hermione was standing. "And I know you didn't have anything to do with him getting hurt."

"Thanks Luna." Draco replied softly. "How is Hermione?" He let out a sigh. "I miss her."

"She's okay. She misses you, too. Though she won't admit it." Luna paused for a moment. "How do you suppose she will take the news about Ron?"

There was a hesitated silence between Luna and Draco. Hermione held her breath as she waited for an answer.

"I'm afraid it will break her heart." Draco answered somberly.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! I'm finished with college for the semester and plan on finally getting some of my stories updated during winter break. Thanks for the support so far! It means so much! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

"Break my heart?" Hermione repeated, with a whisper, the words that she had heard Draco say in the library. She laid down onto her bed and recounted the last few moments.

She had quickly returned to the Gryffindor House. Hermione saw that Ron was still where she had left him, in the center of the on-going party. She wanted to talk to him, but not in the crowded common room.

_I will just wait until later._ Hermione thought as she crossed the room and headed to the girls' dormitory.

She sat on her bed and stared out the window. The noise in the common room made it impossible to go to sleep, so Hermione decided to attempt reading her book, _Quidditch Through The _Ages (to get a better understanding of the sport), again.

A few moments later, footsteps came rushing up the girls' stairwell. Then, a girl with long ginger hair came into the Fifth Year girls' dorm.

"Hey Granger, are you busy?" Ginny Weasley asked as she cocked her hip and put her hand on it.

"No." Hermione answered meekly, putting her book away. "Is something wrong?"

"Harry Potter is looking for you, that's all." Ginny said.

Before Hermione could respond, Ginny gave her quick look of loathing, spun on her heel and left.

Hermione wasn't sure what to make of Ginny's behavior, but she decided to find out what Harry needed her for. _Maybe it is something to do with homework that we have._ she thought as she came back to the common room. She noticed that Lavender was trying to get close to Ron again, but he wasn't paying her any attention.

Instead, Ron looked over in Hermione's direction. He flashed her a smile. Hermione felt her heart flutter in response.

_He isn't going to hurt me._ Automatically, Hermione started working her way through the crowd, heading towards Ron. _I just want to hear him say that everything is going to be okay._

"Err, Hermione?" someone said as they tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.

She turned to see Harry standing behind her. Hermione's eyes glanced up to the cut that Luna mentioned earlier, not that it didn't stand out anyway. The flaming red, lighting bolt-shaped cut made a bold statement on his ghostly pale skin.

Hermione saw some girls pass by and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw them point out the imperfection on Harry's face.

_As if Gryffindors need another reason to hate Slytherins._ she thought. Because everyone knew that Harry had crashed because of Crabbe hitting Harry with a Bludger after the game had ended.

"Yes Harry." Hermione replied, pulling her eyes away from his forehead. "Ginny Weasley said you were looking for me."

Harry's eyes darted around the room.

"Actually, d'you mind if we talked somewhere quieter?" he asked.

It did seem as if the noise was getting louder by the minute. Hermione was a little surprised that a teacher hadn't come up to find the source of the commotion.

"Uh...sure." Hermione answered with a nod.

Harry led the way through the common room and to the portrait. Hermione noticed some cloth sticking out of Harry's pocket as he climbed out. As she left the portrait, a loud wave of cheers erupted behind her. Hermione couldn't help wonder what could have caused it, but continued to follow Harry.

_Maybe I can talk to him about Ron._

They found an empty classroom nearby. Hermione casted a spell and summoned a couple chairs for them to sit.

"So...er..." Harry started. He looked as if he wasn't sure about what he wanted to say.

"Luna should have got you to put some essence of dittany on that." Hermione said, pointing towards Harry's forehead.

Harry let out a chuckle. "She said that you would say that." He smiled as he looked down at hands.

Hermione recognized that smile. It wasn't one that she had seen from Ron though. The only guy that she had ever seen smile like that was when Draco smiled at her.

"Does...does she...I mean, does Luna...fancy anyone?" Harry asked nervously, still looking at his hands.

Hermione couldn't be sure because of the dim moonlight coming through the window, but it looked like Harry was blushing.

"She hasn't sa-" Hermione said, but stopped because she heard a noise.

Both Hermione and Harry turned to the door, where they could hear the doorknob being fiddled with by someone or something.

"I hope its not Filch." Harry said. Hermione could see him reaching for the cloth that was sticking out of his pocket as he spoke. "He'd love any reason to send me to Dumbledore's office."

Hermione held her breath as the door slowly opened. Lavender busted into the room, holding hands with someone that was just out of sight.

"Opps, sorry." Lavender said. Then she turned to who she was holding hands with, "This one is occupied."

Hermione felt her face start to burn. _I hope she doesn't run off and tell Parvati and spread rumors about me and Harry._

Just before the door closed, Hermione saw Lavender tug whomever she was with along to the next room. His shaggy, ginger hair caught Hermione's attention.

"Wait...was that?" Hermione asked as she quickly stood up, knocking her chair backwards.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked. He got up and walked the short distance between them over to her.

"No, no, no." Hermione shook her head with each word. She couldn't believe what she just saw. "T-that couldn't have been."

Harry put his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight on. "Who?"

Hermione felt like crying. Draco's words came crashing back to her.

_You have some dirty little secrets you don't want her to know._

_It will break her heart._

"Ron." she finally answered with a whisper as she held back a sob. "I saw Ron with Lavender just now."

* * *

**Yay-ness! Its taken me a while, but here is the next chapter. ^_^ **


	6. Chapter 6

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

Hermione knew that Harry could feel her shoulders shaking in his hands. She just nodded her head. Hermione was fearful that if she spoke, she would start crying.

"Hermione-"

She didn't stay to hear what Harry was going to say. Hermione shook off his hands and ran out of the classroom.

_No! I won't believe it!_

Hermione ran back to her dorm. The music was reduced to a dull thumping sound to her as Hermione reached her bed. All of the other girls were still out, so there wasn't anyone around to hear her cry.

_Why?_ she wondered as she changed into pajamas and tears rolled down her face. _Why was Ron with Lavender?_

Hermione, whose head was now aching from crying, climbed into bed and slowly drifted off into a restless sleep.

Voices talking around her caused Hermione to wake, but she didn't get out of bed.

"Yeah, Professor McGonagall came in around one in the morning and told us to go to bed." Parvati said with a laugh.

Then Parvati's voice faded away and the only thing that Hermione could hear was her own breathing.

_Maybe it wasn't Ron that was with Lav-...her._ Hermione tried to convince herself. _Maybe it was Fred or George._

She knew that she was only kidding herself. Hermione could not pretend that it wasn't Ron that she saw last night.

Hermione had adored Ron at a distance for so long. She knew it could not have been anyone else she saw. Even if he was being pulled along by Lavender.

The way the light shimmered in his ginger hair. The smirk that he always wore when he was planning trouble. The way that he carried himself. Hermione knew all these things about Ron.

Tears started to well up again in her eyes, but she wiped them away.

_You cannot hide here all day. There's things you have to do._ Hermione thought about homework with Luna and going to the library.

At a very sluggish pace, Hermione got up and put on her uniform. She looked at a mirror and saw that her eyes were puffy from crying, but a quick swish of her wand fixed it. Her hair seemed like it wasn't going to be cooperative at all, so Hermione tied it back in a braid.

_Not like he ever notices what I do with it anyway._ she thought as she grabbed her school bag.

Hermione started towards the Great Hall in a daze.

"Good morning, Hermione." Luna said. "You seem to have Wrackspurts buzzing around you."

"Hey Luna." Hermione responded.

Luna pulled her wand down from behind her ear and flicked it at Hermione. The dazed feeling seemed to disappear from her. Hermione realized that she had ran into Luna on the Fifth floor.

Luna shook her head. "Harry yesterday and you today. Wonder who will be next?" she said with a smile.

"Thanks Luna."

Luna smiled at her friend. "Come on, let's go eat."

The girls walked in uncharacteristic silence. Hermione kept her focus on the floor, going by memory to keep walking.

It wasn't until they had reached the First floor that did something unexpected. She reached out and grabbed hold of Hermione's robes, causing Hermione to stop walking.

"Hermione," she said. Slowly, Hermione looked up to Luna's face. "You may be able to fool others, but I know you too well." Luna let go of the robe and took a step closer to Hermione. Then she hugged her. "I'm your friend. I'm here if you want to talk about it."

Hermione felt chocked up again. She could almost feel the tears wanting to fall.

"Come on." Luna said as she stepped back. "I'll grab some food and we'll go up to the library."

"Okay." Hermione said, finally back in control of her emotions.

Luna smiled. "I'll be right back."

* * *

"Er, Luna, do you have a moment?" Harry asked as she had entered the Great Hall.

"Yes, all I have to spare is a moment." Luna answered. She turned her attention to the table next to her and started grabbing some pieces of toast.

Luna had felt strangely nervous around Harry since yesterday. But she was calm on the outside, as usual.

"It's about Hermione." he said, almost causing Luna to drop the food she had gathered.

She spun around to face Harry. "What about Hermione?"

Luna tried to stay focused on what he was about to say, but she noticed everything about Harry. His always untidy black hair (that she saw him attempt to flatten when he saw her walking up), his lovely bespectacled green eyes, the nice smile that he wore when talking to her.

"Well, we were talking last night...and...she said...she saw Ron...with Lavender."

"Thank you, Harry." Luna said. Then she quickly turned around and left him. Luna could feel his gaze follow after her.

Before she left the Great Hall, Luna, in a rare preoccupied moment and not paying attention, crashed into somebody the entrance of the hall.

"Wow, Luna, what's the rush about?" Draco asked jokingly.

Luna felt his hands on her arms to help steady her. She looked up to him. Once he saw her expression, his smile faded away and his face became solemn. Draco's hands slowly went up to rest on Luna's shoulders.

"What's wrong, Luna?" he asked.

"She saw him." Luna replied. She took a deep breath before she continued. "Hermione saw Ron with some girl named Lavender."

Luna saw Draco's temper flare as he let go of her. She knew what he was about to do.

"Draco!" Luna said as she grabbed his robes and pulled him close to her. His face was inches away from her own. Luna stood up on her toes and whispered into Draco's ear.

"Fine." Draco said. He was trying to calm himself. "I'll do that."

"Good. See you later, Draco."

Then, Luna left the Great Hall and made her way back to Hermione. When she reached the First floor, Luna saw Hermione sitting on a bench as she waited.

"Shall we go?" Luna asked, smiling as she showed the food she had grabbed.

"Yeah." Hermione replied meekly.

* * *

**Thank you for the FF lurve! **


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was quietly nibbling on a piece of toast. She was staring out the window, though she was not focused on anything in particular. Luna sat silently next to Hermione, patiently waiting.

_How do I even try to explain to Luna what I saw last night?_ Hermione wondered. Then, she let out a sigh and looked over at her friend.

An echoing thump sounded through the library from a nearby study area.

"So, is it true that Professor McGonagall had to go up to the Gryffindor house and break up the party you were having?" Luna asked nonchalantly.

"Uh...yes." Hermione answered. Then, she hesitated for a moment. "At least, that's what I heard when I woke up this morning."

Luna raised an eyebrow while she played with her Butterbeer cap necklace.

"I...I went to bed early." Hermione said as she turned away from Luna. She focused her gaze on the unfinished toast in her hand. Hermione felt a lump growing in her throat. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Luna..." she started, still looking at the toast. "I think...No...I know that I saw...Ron...with...another girl..." Hermione stopped because she thought she was going to start crying again.

Suddenly, Hermione felt Luna's small arms wrap around her, causing the toast to fall out of her hand. Hermione could feel herself losing control. She felt the sob building, but she continued to fight against it.

"Oh, Hermione, I'm so sorry." Luna said.

"Why? W-why did he...he do that?" Hermione whispered as a few tears began to fall. "I know that I'm new to this being a girlfriend thing, b-but still..." Tears blurred her vision.

Luna let go of Hermione and sat back in her chair. In a very calm voice, she said "Just tell me what happened. I need to know what you saw."

Hermione nodded and wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe. She waited several minutes to calm down before she started again.

"Well..." she said. Hermione told Luna about the party being too loud and going up to the dormitory to read, only to summoned back down to the common room by Harry Potter.

"Harry? What did he want? Why wasn't he enjoying the festivities?" Luna asked.

_Oh no. I can't tell her what we really talked about._

"Harry needed...needed me to explain some homework that we had. That's why we went to an unused classroom, where it was quiet." Hermione answered.

"Oh, okay." Luna responded.

Hermione continued with her story. She teared up again when she got to the part of Lavender Brown playfully tugging at Ron. Hermione had to stop to regain control.

"That's when you went back to the dorm." Luna said, picking up where Hermione ended.

Hermione nodded to let Luna know that she was right.

"Hermione, I'm sorry." Luna repeated. She reached out her hand and patted Hermione's hand.

Hermione looked down at the ground and closed her eyes.

"I wish that Draco was here." she whispered as tears started falling again. "I mean, is it that Lavender Brown is prettier than me? Or..."

Hermione's sentence was cut off because she was wrapped in someone's arms. She could tell it was not Luna's small arms, but someone just as familiar as Luna. No, this person was more familiar.

_No way._

Hermione opened her eyes and could not believe what she saw.

"D-Draco, you're here." she said through her shock.

* * *

**Thank you for waiting! School is out and I can dedicate more time to writing! **


	8. Chapter 8

"It-its you." Hermione choked out.

Draco just sat there and did not say a word. His arms were still wrapped tightly around Hermione, holding her close to him.

"Draco," Luna said as she tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm not sure if Hermione will be able to breathe if you continue to hold her like that."

Hermione felt Draco's grip slightly slack, but he kept his arms wrapped around her.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione" Draco whispered in her ear.

Hermione buried her face in Draco's chest. She always felt safe and secure when she was with him. Draco had always been a safe haven for Hermione when she needed him.

Draco continued to murmur apologies to Hermione as he held her. Silently, tears kept falling from Hermione's eyes while Draco gently stroked her hair.

"Are you...alright?" Draco asked her after some time had passed.

Hermione nodded her head. She had stopped crying and just sat with Draco's arms holding her. Hermione was not sure how long they had been in the study, but she was grateful for it. She sat upright, wiped her face with her sleeve to clean away any residing tears, then looked around the study area.

"Luna left a while ago." Draco said, noticing Hermione looking around.

"Oh..." Hermione responded. "I'll have to thank her later." She wiped the other side of her face to make sure there was not any tears and to give her hands something to do.

"We'd better get going." Draco said. "That is...if you are feeling okay." he continued as he slowly got to his feet.

"I'm fine now." Hermione replied. Then, she noticed Draco pulling his wand out of his robes as he turned away from her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Taking down the concealment spells that Luna put up before she left." Draco answered over his shoulder as he waved his wand and muttered the incantations. After he seemed to be finished, Draco turned back to face Hermione. "We didn't want the entire library to hear you being upset." he said with a half smile.

Hermione felt a surge of emotion for her friends.

"Let's go." Draco said while he gathered up Hermione school bag and tossed it over one shoulder. Then, he took Hermione's hand and slowly pulled her up to her feet and pulled her close to him.

"Dr-Draco..." Hermione stuttered, feeling her face get hot. "What are you doing?"

For a moment, he did not say a single word. Then, Draco took a deep breath. He slowly moved his lips to to Hermione's ear.

"You are the most beautiful girl here, Hermione." he whispered. Then, Draco leaned back, put one of his hands beneath her chin, made her look up at him and looked straight into her eyes. "Don't you ever forget that."

* * *

Luna stood just outside of the study area. She knew the concealment spells were gone because she could hear Draco and Hermione. She came back to check on her friends. She didn't expect the horrible pain that nearly overwhelmed her when she did.

Her heart was breaking. She loved Draco, but she knew she couldn't be with him. He loved Hermione too much. It came crashing down on her when she saw how ginger he was with Hermione. How far that Draco went just to see her smile. Even with all the hardships that he had to endure at school and home because of it, he still loved Hermione. To Draco, she was the most beautiful person in the world.

And Luna never stood a chance.

So, holding back tears and the heartache, Luna left the library. She passed by students who called out names at her, like Looney Luna. It hurt when people make fun of others who are a bit different, but Luna always had Draco and Hermione with her to help. Now, she wasn't so sure.

Luna went straight outside. She went a little past Hagrid's Hut. She knew no one would bother her out here. After a few moments of walking, she found what she was looking for.

The Thestrals.

Not many people at Hogwarts could see the creatures. After all, you had to have seen death to see them. Most of the students thought that the carriages carried themselves at the beginning and the end of the school year. Luna knew otherwise.

Another pang of pain. She thought of how she lost her mother as she looked at a young Thestral and one that seemed to be a parent that lingered close by.

Suddenly, Luna heard footsteps behind her. She held her breath as she turned to see who it was.

"Luna, are you okay?"

* * *

**Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for having patience! Ugh! My writing muses left me for the longest and all my characters were just sitting around and not doing anything. True to character, Harry and Ron sat around doing nothing, Hermione was off reading and I'm not sure where Draco was. Luna was off in search of Nargles. **

**Again, thanks for sticking around and encouraging me to keep on!**


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